Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
by Nicole Berman
Summary: Mac and Harriet have a little heart-to-heart about 'their' men. Can Mac forgive Harm's ultimate sin?


Mac stood a good foot behind Harm as they approached the apartment. He hadn't seemed to notice the icicles growing between himself and his partner, and this was one time she wasn't inclined to point them out. If Harmon Rabb, Jr. couldn't see what an insensitive jackass he'd been, Mac was *not* about to tell him.  
  
Harm tapped the first bar of "Shave and a Haircut" on the door. The second bar echoed from the other side. Bud swung the door open with a grin. "Sir, Ma'am, hi!"  
  
Harm and Mac sighed in unison.  
  
"Bud," Mac began.  
  
"I know, I know. Come on in, Harm. Mac," he said nervously.  
  
"Calm down, Bud, we're here to eat, not to eat *you*," Harm teased.  
  
"Right, si---Harm." Bud stammered.  
  
"Where's Harriet, Bud?" Mac asked, trying to distract him.  
  
"In the kitchen!" Harriet called. "And I could use a hand."  
  
Harm clapped loudly.  
  
"Very funny," Mac said, hitting him playfully in his bicep.  
  
"I thought it was." Harm shrugged. "Oooh, football!" Fortunately, the TV distracted him.   
  
"Yeah, this looks like the first season we might actually have a chance at the Playoffs," Bud theorized, glad to have something to talk to Harm about besides work or the Navy.  
  
Mac made a beeline for the kitchen. "They're talking football already," she said disgustedly. "Men."  
  
"Hello to you, too," Harriet smiled as she hugged Mac, trying not to cover her in cooking mess.  
  
Mac chuckled. "Sorry, hi. Hey, AJ!" she said, turning to the baby. He bounced in a seat, suspended from the ceiling.   
  
"Ma!" was AJ's greeting.  
  
"I think he said 'Mac'," Harriet giggled. "Or part of it, anyway."  
  
"He did not," Mac said, lifting the little boy out of his seat and kissing his cheek. "He said "Semper Fi". Don't you know a Marine when you meet one, Harriet?" Mac teased.  
  
"Oh, don't you even try to turn my son into a jarhead, ma'am," Harriet warned, brandishing a ladle. "If he's going to be anything, he'll be Navy. After all, he has 100% Naval blood in him."  
  
"A minor stumbling block," Mac assured little AJ. "You can be anything you want...a Major. A Colonel. Even--"  
  
"Even a Squid!" Harm finished for her, reaching down to scoop the baby out of Mac's arms.  
  
"Or an egotistical, cocky, insensitive Naval aviator," Mac added under her breath.  
  


* * *  
  


"Harriet, you're a wonderful cook. This is the best meatloaf I've ever eaten." Mac smiled at her friend.  
  
"Even better than Harm's Famous Meatless Meatloaf?" Harm teased her.  
  
"Harm, cat litter would've tasted better than that garbage." Mac said, coldly.  
  
"Ooh." Harm clutched at his chest. "Now turn the knife *counter* clockwise."  
  
Mac was beginning to wonder if she was going to make it through dinner without stabbing him with her butter knife.  
  
Harriet waved her white napkin. "Can we declare a truce tonight, please?" she giggled. "I don't want blood on my new carpet."  
  
Little AJ banged his spoon against his highchair tray. "Dada!" he said, clutching at the sleeve of Harm's sweater.  
  
Harm chuckled softly. "Come here, little man," he said. He lifted AJ out of the highchair and propped him on one knee. AJ gnawed happily on a green bean, grinning his baby grin up at Harm. "Dada!"  
  
"I hate it when he does that," Bud muttered to his mashed potatos.  
  
"Oh, he doesn't mean it, Bud. He knows you're his daddy, he just can't say 'Uncle Harm' yet." Harm assured him.  
  
Bud smiled at that thought. "Good point."  
  
Harriet winked at Mac. "So, Mac, how are things?" she asked, pointedly.  
  
Mac didn't catch the look, she was so intent on her meatloaf. "Oh, fine. I'm working on the Schmidt appeal, I have a few motions submitted on the dishonorable discharge class-action appeal for the Wiccans..." Mac glanced up and caught the look Harriet was throwing at her. "What?"  
  
Harriet cleared her throat. "I meant, how are things *besides* work?"  
  
"Besides work?" Mac looked confused.  
  
"Yes, you know. Your social life," Harriet nudged her. She glanced from Mac to Harm, back to Mac.  
  
"Oh! Uhm, I haven't really got one." Mac still looked perplexed. "Work's been too hectic."  
  
Harriet sighed softly. "How about you, Harm?"  
  
"Hm?" Harm looked up from tickling AJ. "Oh, I haven't had much of one, either. I see more of Mac than anyone else--you know, working on cases." Harm said with a shrug and a smile to his partner.  
  
Mac saw the smile but turned away, unable to say anything civil. She got up and moved over to the couch, tucking her legs up underneath her and sitting down.  
  
Harriet noticed the look Mac shot Harm, and made a mental note to grill the Colonel about it later. "Well, Mister." Harriet stood with a half-hearted smile and reached for little AJ. "It's past someone's bedtime."  
  
AJ gave a little cry, upset at being disturbed from his perch on Uncle Harm's knee.  
  
"Yes, yes, I know, I'm the evil mommy who makes you go to bed," Harriet laughed. "Give Daddy a kiss goodnight." She dipped the baby towards Bud, who kissed him gently. "Say night-night to Uncle Harm and Aunt Mac," Harriet said. She waved the baby's hand and Mac and Harm waved back at the same time.  
  


* * *  
  


While Harriet was tucking AJ in, Bud cleared the dishes from the table. Mac offered to help but he turned a deep shade of red and stammered "No, thanks."  
  
Harriet came out of the nursery, dusting off her hands. "Well, that's done." She smiled at Mac. "Will you help me with the dishes?" she asked, almost too sweetly.  
  
"Of course," Mac replied, following her into the kitchen. Half of her wondered what Harriet had up her sleeve; the other half was too scared to ask.  
  
Once they were alone, Harriet turned on Mac like a bulldog on a mailman. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" she asked, anger tinting her Southern drawl.  
  
"Of course. Harriet, come on, we're friends," Mac said.  
  
"Then tell me what the hell's going on between you and the Commander. You looked ready to rip out his jugular all evening!" Harriet declared.  
  
"Harriet, it's...it's not important." Mac turned and began loading dishes into the dishwasher.  
  
"All due respect, Colonel, that's a load of crap."  
  
"Harriet!" Mac was genuinely surprised to hear that kind of language out of her friend.  
  
"Don't "Harriet" me, Mac. Tell me what Harm did, and why he doesn't know he's in trouble."  
  
Mac sighed softly. "All right. But you have to promise not to tell *him*."  
  
Harriet nodded. "Whatever you want, Mac," her tone softened.  
  
"The other day, I went over to his place. We were supposed to work on the Schmidt appeal. Well, one thing led to another..."  
  
"You didn't?!" Harriet gasped.  
  
"Shh, keep your voice down," Mac pleaded. "And no, we didn't. We just--kissed. For a while. A long while. I thought this was finally it," she sighed. "I thought he was going to tell me how he felt."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And the bastard pushed me away, told me *he* couldn't do it, and *he* couldn't get emotionally involved and...Oh!" Mac growled, pounding her fist into her hand. "Like I'm ready for this? Ready to be in my partner's apartment, having him kiss me...wanting him to?" she asked Harriet rhetorically. "This is what I've been afraid of all along. This is why I didn't tell him years ago," she added angrily. "Emotionally involved, my six! What does he think we've *been* for four years?"  
  
"Friends," Harriet supplied. "So why didn't you tell him you were hurt?"  
  
Mac shook her head. "Harriet, you know it's not that simple. If I tell Harm how I feel.... Well now, I absolutely can't--now that I know he doesn't feel the same way."  
  
"But, Mac," Harriet began.  
  
"Harriet!" Bud chose that innoportune moment to walk into the kitchen. "I need to talk to you."  
  
"Can't it wait, sweetie?" Harriet implored him.  
  
"No." Bud was firmer than Mac had ever heard him.  
  
"I'll just leave you two alone," Mac said, slipping out of the room. She walked into the living room, fully ready to ignore Harm, but he wasn't there. Halfway relieved, Mac sat down on the couch, thumbing through an old copy of "People".  
  


* * *  
  


"...So he told me all of this, and how he never meant to hurt her. How scared he got, how much he cares about her."  
  
"She told me basically the same thing. I mean, not in so many words, but a woman can tell, you know."  
  
"Now what do we do?"  
  
"We leave them alone together. Let them work it out."  
  
"And stay here in the kitchen? What will we do?" Bud asked innocently.  
  
"I can think of a few things," Harriet whispered, nibbling on his ear.  
  


* * *  
  


Harm came out of the bathroom and headed for his seat on the couch--which now had a Mac in it. "That was my seat, jarhead," he teased.  
  
"Kiss my six, Squid," Mac answered back, in a voice so low he couldn't hear it.  
  
"What?" Harm said.  
  
"I said 'kiss my six'." Mac stood up and stormed over to the sliding glass doors. She stood there, silently, tears of disappointment and rage and hurt streaming down her face. She stared out unseeingly at the lake behind the Roberts' house.  
  
"Mac?" Harm's voice across the room sounded like a little lost boy. "What's wrong?" Getting no response, he sighed and answered himself. "I know what's wrong, I was just hoping it would fix itself."  
  
Mac wrapped her arms around herself, thinking. *I'll call a cab. I can't ride home with him.*  
  
"Mac, I'm sorry." Harm's voice was right behind her. "I--I was an idiot, I'm so sorry." No response. "I never meant to hurt you." He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.  
  
Mac whirled on him. "You never meant to hurt me?" she practically hissed. "Then what *did* you mean to do?"  
  
"I---don't know," he offered helplessly.  
  
"Figures."  
  
"Mac....Sarah...." Harm pleaded with her to understand. "I was a fool. I had you in my arms and I got scared and pushed you away. Can you forgive me?" He reached out to her again, taking her soft hand into his. This time, she allowed his touch to soothe her, and didn't pull away.  
  
"Why should I?" she asked, hurt coloring her soft voice.  
  
"Because I didn't mean to hurt you, and I'm sorry." Harm sounded genuinely apologetic. "I just got scared."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I feel so strongly for you that it scares me," he said, baring his soul. "And because I didn't know how you felt about me."  
  
"You mean, you couldn't tell from that kiss?" Mac asked, staring at her boots.  
  
"No. Well, maybe, but I wasn't sure." Harm reached out to tilt her head up so that she was looking into his eyes. "Mac, are we okay?"  
  
Mac nodded, unable to stay mad once she saw the concern in his blue eyes. "Yeah, we're friends."  
  
"Friends?" Harm looked puzzled. "But the other night..."  
  
"That's what you want, right?" Mac turned back to the lake, not wanting Harm to see the disappointment in her eyes.  
  
"No." Harm wrapped his arms around her waist slowly, giving her plenty of time to push him away.  
  
She didn't. She leaned back into him, closing her eyes. "No?"  
  
"No. I kissed you for a reason, Mac. I want more--a whole lot more," he whispered suggestively in her ear.  
  
"Oh, yeah? Like what?" she asked, expecting a totally male answer, something lewd and crass. And waiting to push him away when he gave it.  
  
"Like...you. In my arms. Every night for the rest of our lives." He said, kissing her neck. "And you, wearing your dress blues at our wedding." He kissed her ear. "And you and me, waving goodbye to our child on their first day of kindergarten."  
  
Mac's heart melted, not for the first time since she'd met Harm. *"Where'd you find this sailor, Sarah?" "In a rose garden, Uncle Matt."* Yes, her heart had been his from the moment they met.  
  
"And you, sitting with me when we're eighty years old, in our rockers, with no teeth--" Harm was cut off.  
  
Mac turned around in his arms, slid hers up around his neck, and kissed him soundly. "Shut up, Squid," she teased.  
  
Then Mac thought she heard the distinct sound of cheering and clapping from the kitchen.  
  
THE END


End file.
